Everything Women of Color Should Know About Cosmetic Surgery.

Everything Women of Color Should Know About Cosmetic Surgery by Dr. Jan Adams St. Martin's Press, December 2000, $24.95, ISBN 0-312-25310-9

Happy New Year! Now what were those resolutions again? Perhaps the natural course of aging or childbirth has taken it's toll, and those fatty deposits around the eyes, waist and thighs no longer respond to dieting or exercise. Is the pull of gravity making a look in the mirror more difficult each day? Women of color are getting plastic surgery in ever increasing numbers and finally there is an easy, accessible volume to help us address our specific needs.

Dr. Adams' book can help women of color decide the best course of action for any particular problem they are considering having corrected. He covers the gamut of aesthetic surgery, from the initial consultation through postoperative recovery. Very specific about making any cosmetic surgery experience as pleasant as possible, his stated aim is to rejuvenate the lives of women of color.

For those women who have tried, through dieting and exercise, to remove a protruding abdomen or remove unsightly cottage cheese thighs, liposuction or a "tummy tuck" might be the answer. The best actions women, especially women of color, can do to safeguard themselves for aesthetic surgery is to get the right surgeon, ask the right questions and be specific about the desired goals. To those ends, this book will be invaluable to those many women, whether in their twenties or sixties, who are considering the jump, and want a good look before they leap.

Emma J. Wisdom is the author of The Tie That Binds: A Memoir in Words and Pictures.